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Psychology 105 Foundations of Contemporary Psychology Fall 2014 Syllabus Course Information Class Sessions: 11-12:20 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays (Shanklin 107) Office Judd 201 Phone X4976 e-mail [email protected] Office Hours W 10-11 Hall-Atwater lounge X2206 [email protected] Fri. 3-4pm Judd B3 Judd B3 X2206 X2206 [email protected] Olga Tasopoulou Vanessa Block Judd B3 X2206 [email protected] Judd B3 X2206 [email protected] Colin Mattox Trinity Russell Judd B3 Judd B3 X2206 X2206 [email protected] [email protected] Guiseppe Amendola Alex Rachlin Judd B3 X2206 [email protected] Judd B3 X2206 [email protected] Professor Sarah Carney Teaching Assistants Alice Le Katie Binswanger Eury German [email protected] Required Texts and Supplements Text Gazzaniga, M. et. al. (2011). Psychological Science. (4th Edition) W. W. Norton & Company. Handouts and Reserved Readings As needed and noted on the syllabus. Course Description Psychology is the branch of science that seeks to understand human mental processes and behavior. Psychologists ask questions such as how we develop, how we behave in a social context, how the environment impacts thought and behavior, how humans interact with social structures, what constitutes healthy behavior, and how behavior can be changed…among many others. This introductory course will provide students with an overview of the current body of knowledge and methods of science and psychology. We will focus on the current state of the field with an eye toward the ways in which psychology and its findings are being generated and used by U.S. culture today. 1 Course Communication Website We have set up a Moodle website for this class. On the site, you will be able to find a copy of the syllabus, required articles (listed on the reading list), and a host of supplementary references that will help you gain a further appreciation of the course materials. All lecture slides will be posted to the site immediately after class. You can reach the website from www.wesleyan.edu→Information Technology Services→Moodle→Login (enter your name and password). e-mail All students are expected to check their Wesleyan University e-mail account regularly (e.g. every day) for updates regarding the course. If I have important announcements to make, updates on course information, or amendments to the syllabus I will make them via e-mail. Students are responsible for reading all communications regarding the course that are sent through e-mail. Course Objectives 1. To serve as an introduction to the basic concepts and theories of a variety of subspecialty areas in psychology (including neuroscience, perception, learning, memory, language development, personality, motivation, intelligence, psychological disorders/treatment, and social psychology) as well as introduce the current state of the field—its practical applications and its cutting edge research. 2. To introduce empirical methods in the study of psychology. 3. To gain some insight into how/why you and those around you think, feel, and behave. 4. To develop and practice critical thinking skills. 5. To explore a variety of perspectives on the human condition, and to foster a respect for points of view that differ from your own. 6. To instill an interest in and enthusiasm for the field of psychology. Regardless of whether you ever take a course in the field again I hope you will leave this semester with an appreciation for the ways in which the theories and research of psychology can inform and illuminate other facets of your life. Comments Your comments and suggestions are welcome at any time. Please do stop by my office hours or send me an email during the semester to let me know how you are doing and how I can be of help. I am looking forward to getting to know you! Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities and/or learning disabilities should contact the associate dean for student academic resources, Sarah E. Lazare (x2332, [email protected]). If you feel you may need special accommodations, please do this as soon as possible. We will do everything we can to comply with their recommendations. 2 Weather Advisory In the event of a winter storm (or other emergency) students should check their emails before coming to class. If, for some reason, I need to cancel class I will send out an email to that effect as early as possible. Syllabus Information Disclaimer I reserve the right to change any information contained in this document, when necessary, with adequate notice given to the student. Notice shall be given in the classroom during class or via email notification. No other notice is required. It is the students’ responsibility to keep up with any changes, modifications, adjustments or amendments that are made to this document. Course Requirements and Grading There will be a total of 100 points possible for this course. Exams: There will be three in-class multiple-choice examinations that will cover topics associated with a particular segment of the course. There will be one final examination that is cumulative, covering all material in the course. I will take your best three out of four examination scores when computing your final grade. Thus, if you do well on the first three exams, you would not need to take the final examination. In addition, if you feel that you need to miss an examination for any reason (e.g. illness, unexpected life event) you may simply drop that score for that particular examination. There will be absolutely no makeup examinations. If you miss two examinations you will receive a zero for both exams. Extra Credit Work: Final reaction paper (optional) due on the last day of class. This paper will be a brief, reaction-type, reflective piece. Further instructions will be provided during the course of the semester. Papers will be graded on a range of 0 to a potential of 3 points, the total of which may be added to the course average. Research Participation: Psychology Department policies state that students in Psychology 105 must participate in tfour hours of department sponsored research. You will be given more information about this requirement during the first weeks of class. The grading is broken down in the following way: Examinations Papers 25 points each (best 3 out of 4 exam scores) Research participation 10 points A+ A AB+ B B- C+ C CD+ D D- 97-100 93-96 90-92 88-89 83-87 80-82 78-79 73-77 70-72 68-69 63-67 60-62 F 3 Below 60 Course Schedule 9/1/14 Introduction to the course—No required reading. 9/3/14 Overview of the Field 9/8/14 Biological Bases of Behavior 9/10/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 6, pp. 223-263 Roediger, H. et al (2011). Using Testing to Improve Learning and Memory. (Moodle) Memory 9/24/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 4, pp. 131-139; 159-176 Wolfe, J. (2011). Visual Search: Is it a Matter of Life and Death? (Moodle) Learning 9/22/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 3, pp. 73-127 Perception 9/17/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 3, pp. 73-127 Biological Bases of Behavior continued… 9/15/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 1, pp. 1-25 Gazzaniga: Chapter 7, pp. 267-297 Memory continued…Eye Witness Testimony Gazzaniga: Chapter 7, pp. 298-313 Loftus, E. (2011). Crimes of Memory: False Memories and Societal Justice. (Moodle) 9/29/14 EXAM ONE 10/1/14 Language Gleitman: Chapter 9, 313-323, 326-329 (posted on Moodle) Goldin-Meadow, S. (2011). Creating and Learning Language by Hand. (Moodle) Terrace, H. (2011). Thinking Without Language. (Moodle) 4 10/6/14 Language continued… 10/8/14 Developmental Psychology 10/13/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 9, pp. 365-417 Rogoff, B., Correa-Chavez, M., & Silva, K. (2011). Cultural Variation in Children’s Attention and Learning. (Moodle) Social Psychology 10/22/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 9, pp. 365-417 Rovee-Collier, C. (2011). Preserving Infant Memories. (Moodle) Developmental Psychology 10/15/14 Gleitman: Chapter 9, 330-351(Posted on Moodle) Rymer, R. (1992). The silent childhood. Parts 1 & 2. The New Yorker, April 13 & April 20 Gazzaniga: Chapter 12, pp. 513-563 Aronson, E. (2011). Reducing Prejudice and Building Empathy in the Classroom. (Moodle) Social Psychology—Social Comparison and Conformity Gazzaniga: Chapter 12, pp. 513-563 10/27/14 EXAM 2 10/29/14 Intelligence 11/3/14 Personality 11/5/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 8, pp. 344-361 Greenfield, P. (1997). You can’t take it with you: why ability assessments don’t cross cultures. American Psychologist, 52 (10), 1115-1124. (Moodle) Sternberg, R. (2011). The Rainbow Project: Using a Psychological Theory of Intelligence to Improve the College Admissions Process. (Moodle) Gazzaniga: Chapter 13, pp. 567-613 Personality Gazzaniga: Chapter 13, pp. 567-613 Snyder, M. (2011). Products of their Personalities or Creatures of their Situations? Personality and Social Behavior Have the Answer. (Moodle) 5 11/10/14 Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology 11/12/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 14, pp. 617-669 Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2011). Lost in Thought: The Perils of Rumination. (Moodle) Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology Gazzaniga: Chapter 14, pp. 617-669 11/17/14 Abnormal Psychology (catch-up day) 11/19/14 Treatment of Psychopathology 11/24/14 Gazzaniga: Chapter 15, pp. 673-723 Treatment continued… Barlow, D. (2011). The Development and Evaluation of Psychological Disorders for Panic. (Moodle) 12/1/14 Catch up day 12/3/14 EXAM 3 12/10/14 Final Exam 2:00 p.m. in Shanklin 6